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Introduction to The Beat Goes On
Presented
October 3rd 2001
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____Good Evening. My name is Adele Geraghty, and on behalf of those present who will perform here this evening, I welcome you to The Beat Goes On. Ours is an evening of literary interpretation, dedicated to the memory of Daisy Aldan; poet, publisher, actress, translator, and, to those of us onstage this evening, teacher for more than 30 years, at the School of Industrial Art and The HS of Art & Design.
____Originally, Daisy was to be an honored guest this evening, but the literary world, and those of us who knew her best, as family, friend, teacher and mentor, were deeply saddened when she passed away in February of this year.
____First and foremost, this literary presentation is brought to you as a reunion event, a chance to bring together old friends and remember times when our innocence and naivety left us malleable. In Daisy's hands, we were fashioned to become literary voices of self expression and worldly anticipation.
____Under Daisy's instruction, we learned to touch not just the world around us, but those inner places we had yet to explore. She gave us both vision and voice. Naturally, much of what she told us, went unheeded and sometimes, seemed totally lost. But we retained what she taught us, and like a pod, waiting to burst forth at the opportune moment, when the time came to call upon the knowledge we'd gleaned, her words surfaced to bring us forth to challenge the unknown and use it to our advantage.
____I last spoke with Daisy about seven years ago. During my last year at Art & Design, I was Editor in chief of The Literary Magazine segment of our yearbook. This was a portion of the yearbook Daisy established in 1956. Daisy was an inspiration to me, as she was to everyone who knew her.
_____But our relationship was a turbulent one, meeting head on with clashes of literary style and ideals. She was my mentor and I probably would not be a writer today, if it weren't for her drawing me to the light and making me realize my talent.
____It was my job then, to choose the best work of all students for the past three years, to include in the yearbook. I could not choose my own work, however, and mine was unanimously voted upon by the literary staff. The piece they chose was one I detested, and I couldn't imagine why anyone would want this in the yearbook. I dreaded being remembered for it!
____During my last conversation with Daisy, she suddenly made a statement which will stay with me through the rest of my life! She said; "I still carry your work with me wherever I go Adele". That in itself was stunning enough, but when I asked her which piece she referred to, she told me it was the one chosen to be in the yearbook. She went on to say that she had read it around the world, the last reading being in Amsterdam.
____I have never been paid a higher compliment, and have since looked upon that early piece as a cherished manuscript; the wealth of which could only be recognized by the seasoned eye. I am so glad I had that final talk with her, and rather than regret the time lost wherein we did not speak, I hold that one moment as cumulative of all others! Her words to me, spoke volumes.
____In honor of her many years of dedication to her students, to the love of the written word, in all it's many interpretive forms, and to the strength of character and courage to creatively express ourselves which Daisy instilled in us, we dedicate this evening of original work.
____We would like to think, that with her death, the torch has been passed to a new generation of writers, inspired by the honesty of creation we knew to be Daisy's style. We believe, that if she could, Daisy would hail this evening successful, by virtue of it's being presented by those students she referred to as "my children".
Ladies and Gentlemen... The Beat Goes On.
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